Sunday, March 7, 2010

The second I saw these Raspberry Lemonade Bars on Sophistimom, I knew I had to have 'em. Unfortunately, Dell has yet to add the oft-requested (at least by foodies, I imagine) monitor feature wherein I could simply reach in and grab a bite of whatever's on the screen. So put simply, I would have to make these for myself (sigh).

That first encounter was back in fall '09, but the vibrant colors and fun flavors of these bars would continue haunting me until I threw up my white flag and ran straight for the kitchen. Now I promise I won't make any puns about surrender being so (so) sweet. I'm not that cheesy, after all...

But in all seriousness, you really should try these for yourself. The vibrant pink color will garner plenty of attention. Then the sweet tart fruity flavors will surely take everyone who tries them back to childhood summers and maybe even running their own lemonade stand. Isn't it interesting that our favorite desserts often have a tie to the past? I'd love to hear if you have one that brings back particularly wonderful memories.

One last thing -- on a completely unrelated note -- I've been searching for a round white tray with raised edge like this, rectangular white tray with no edge like this, and vintage cooling rack like this. I'd be so grateful if someone could point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance!

XIAOLU'S NOTES: I iz lazee, so I simply melted the butter and stirred in the dry ingredients. It still tasted great but lacked the pleasant sandiness that I associate with lemon bar bases. Feel free to go either way depending on how much washing you're willing to do afterward 8). A friend made these with lime instead of lemon and reported it was great!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees Celsius). Line a 8×8″ square baking pan with a strip of parchment paper (8×14″) that covers the bottom and overlaps on either side. (This is so after it cools, you can pull out the entire pan of bars and cut them neatly. You can omit this step completely, though, in which case you need to butter the pan well.)

Cream butter, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer. Mix in flour until just incorporated. Flour hands and press dough into 8×8″ square baking pan, so that it comes up about a 1/2 inch around the sides.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until slightly golden brown. While it cools, prepare the filling.

Whisk sugar, eggs, lemon juice and zest, flour, and salt in a large bowl. Pour raspberries into a sieve and press through to extract all the pulp and juices. Whisk into lemon mixture and pour into crust. Bake for 30-35 minutes until filling is completely set. Let cool completely. (I help mine along in the freezer for about an hour.) Using the overlapping edges of parchment paper, gently lift the dessert from the pan. Cut into 16 squares. Dust generously with confectioner’s sugar.

We just found your site and, man what have we been missing? Your photography is fantastic, the writing fun and inviting. The raspberry bars look divine and now we will have to make some for home too. My sweet jaw thanks you. In regards to your question as to the white trays, we've been able to find some similar to what you are looking for at our local T.J.Maxx stores. Most stores around us have a least a small HomeGoods section, but when the advertise it the selection will be much better. They've been our best resource for white serving dishware. Good luck finding them.T & D

Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Todd and Diane! Your blog is one of my longtime favorites and a source of both recipe and photography inspiration. I've been especially loving your series of food photography tutorials. Your tip about T.J. Maxx is greatly appreciated too -- I'll definitely check there.

I don’t know about the cooling rack, but I have that very round white tray and I got it at Ikea (and I’m pretty sure it was only $10 bucks). I think I might have seen something like that flat square dish in a CB2 catalogue but I’m not %100 sure.